Application program interface for network software platform

• US 7,013,469 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2005
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burke, Shawn P., Moore, Anthony J., Miller, James S., Hejlsberg, Anders, Demsey, Seth M., LaMacchia, Brian A., Mortenson, David S., Magruder, Michael M., Hawkins, Jonathan C., Kakivaya, Gopala Krishna R., Brumme, Christopher W., Krishnaswamy, Raja, Christensen, Erik B., Pharies, Stefan H., Anderson, Christopher L., Trowbridge, Sean E., Fee, Gregory D., Kohnfelder, Loren M., Takacs, Daniel, Dasan, Shajan, Bennett, Julie D., Doise, Caleb L., Hogg, James H., Cooperstein, Jeffrey M., Bau, David, Anand, Tarun, Muhlestein, Travis J., Olson, Erik B., Olson, Lance E., Yeon, Fabio A., Grunkemeyer, Brian M., Sanders, Henry L., Christensen, Yann E., Ebbo, David S., Smith, Adam W., Rajan, Jayanth V., Cook, Suzanne M., Cwalina, Krzysztof J., Feuerstein, Corina E., Ruiz-Scougall, Jesus, Long, Joe D., Krishnaswamy, Ramasamy, Sinclair, Craig T., Ramadan, Hany E., Driver, David O., Roxe, Joseph, Palanca, Radu Rares, McConnell, John I., Boshier, Alan, Lin, Yung-shin, Prabhu, Manish S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, SUE X
• Application Number:
  US11/159,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: 719/328, 719/315, 719/316, 719/330, 719/318, 718/107, 718/108, 709/203, 717/116, 717/114
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/463 Naming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

An application program interface (API) provides a set of functions, including a set of base classes and types that are used in substantially all applications accessing the API, for application developers who build Web applications on Microsoft Corporation'"'"'s .NET™ platform.

Claims

1. A computerized method in a distributed computing system comprising:

handling, by an application, requests submitted by applications executing on remote devices over a network; and

presenting, by an application program interface, functions used by the applications to access network and computing resources of the distributed computing system, wherein the application program interface comprises a set of base classes and types that are used in substantially all applications executing on the remote devices submitting requests, wherein the set of base classes and types comprises;

an AsyncCallback delegate supplied to an application, wherein the AsyncCallback delegate references a callback method to be called when a corresponding asynchronous operation is completed; and

an IAsyncResult interface that enables determination of the status of an asynchronous operation, wherein the IAsyncResult interface includes;

an AsyncState property that returns the object that was provided as the last parameter as part of a Begin call corresponding to the asynchronous operation;

an AsyncWaitHandle property that returns a WaitHandle that can be used to allow the application to wait for a call to be completed without needing to poll;

a CompletedSynchronously property that is set to true if the Begin call corresponding to the asynchronous operation completed synchronously; and

an IsCompleted property that is set to true after processing of the asynchronous operation is completed.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of types support an event model including an event delegate that connects an event with a handler of the event, the set of base classes and types further comprising:

one or more classes that hold event data; and

one or more delegates that identify a method to provide a response to an event.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a collections namespace that includes a plurality of classes and interfaces for in-memory data storage and manipulation.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the collections namespace includes, as at least part of the plurality of types:

a first set of types including commonly used collection classes;

a second set of types including interfaces to define a formal contract between developers creating new collections and developers consuming collections; and

a third set of types that support creating strongly typed collections.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a globalization namespace that includes a plurality of classes that define culture-related information, wherein the plurality of classes include a first set of types representing information about a user'"'"'s culture and a second set of types representing information about a user'"'"'s region.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a net namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enables use of network resources without details of one or more protocols used to access the network resources.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a security namespace that includes a plurality of classes and interfaces that make available an underlying structure of a security system including one or more cryptographic services, code access security and role based security infrastructure.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a service process namespace that includes a plurality of classes that allow installation and running of services.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a serialization namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enable serializing and deserializing of instance data.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a diagnostics namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enable debugging of applications, trace code execution, reading event logs, writing event logs, and monitoring system performance.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program interface further comprises a messaging namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enable connecting to message queues on the network, sending messages to message queues, receiving messages from message queues, and peeking at messages from message queues.

12. A computerized system comprising:

means for handling requests submitted by applications executing on remote devices over a network; and

means for presenting functions used by the applications to access network and computing resources of a distributed computing system, wherein the means for presenting comprises a set of base classes and types that are used in substantially all applications executing on the remote devices submitting requests, wherein the set of base classes and types comprises;

an AsyncCallback delegate supplied to an application, wherein the AsyncCallback delegate references a callback method to be called when a corresponding asynchronous operation is completed; and

an IAsyncResult interface that enables determination of the status of an asynchronous operation, wherein the IAsyncResult interface includes;

an AsyncState property that returns the object that was provided as the last parameter as part of a Begin call corresponding to the asynchronous operation;

an AsyncWaitHandle property that returns a WaitHandle that can be used to allow the application to wait for a call to be completed without needing to poll;

a CompletedSynchronously property that is set to true if the Begin call corresponding to the asynchronous operation completed synchronously; and

an IsCompleted property that is set to true after processing of the asynchronous operation is completed.

13. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the set of types support an event model including an event delegate that connects an event with a handler of the event, the set of base classes and types further comprising:

one or more classes that hold event data; and

one or more delegates that identify a method to provide a response to an event.

14. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for presenting further comprises a collections namespace that includes a plurality of classes and interfaces for in-memory data storage and manipulation.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the collections namespace includes, as at least part of the plurality of types:

a first set of types including commonly used collection classes;

a second set of types including interfaces to define a formal contract between developers creating new collections and developers consuming collections; and

a third set of types that support creating strongly typed collections.

16. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for presenting further comprises a net namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enables use of network resources without details of one or more protocols used to access the network resources.

17. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for presenting further comprises a security namespace that includes a plurality of classes and interfaces that make available an underlying structure of a security system including one or more cryptographic services, code access security and role based security infrastructure.

18. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for presenting further comprises a service process namespace that includes a plurality of classes that allow installation and running of services.

19. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for presenting further comprises a diagnostics namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enable debugging of applications, trace code execution, reading event logs, writing event logs, and monitoring system performance.

20. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for presenting further comprises a messaging namespace that includes a plurality of classes that enable connecting to message queues on the network, sending messages to message queues, receiving messages from message queues, and peeking at messages from message queues.